INKISH.NEWS -

Times are certainly not easy for the event organizers. With the COVID-19 situation, vendors see decreases sales, the uncertainty of the future, and maybe more important in this context, new ways of communicating with customers seem to work.

Just a couple of days ago Tarsus who organizes the LabelExpo/BrandPrint shows announced new dates for several of their shows. Of course, they couldn't do anything but, evaluating the situation, and decide what to do. Cancellations seem not to be on the radar. Why? With cancellations follows further obligations, and for most organizers, the financial consequences can be unimaginable.

However, the show must go on - and I am not referring to the tradeshows. I am referring to the fact that the role of events such as drupa, Fespa, PRINTING United, and other larger shows, already have changed. Vendors who have spent years on the development of new technology can't depend on show dates to release new products.

Therefore we see more webinars than ever. Therefore we see virtual events. Therefore we see announcements from major vendors that most likely keep event-organizers awake at night these days.

The latest announcement from both Xerox and BOBST is only the start. Why exhibit and spent millions of Euros if you can get your messages across better, faster, cheaper, and maybe even more important without being influenced by a show-date, a COVID-19 pandemic, and more.

Will the new ways of presenting products and services be seen as smart, and consequently participating at tradeshows seen as the "old school" way?

When justifying the cost of tradeshows, we often refer to the leads generates from new prospects. We often refer to networking. We often refer to the things that, to be honest, maybe is more excuses than facts. I LOVE tradeshows and a lot of INKISH films, network, and business has been founded by attending shows. But today the networking is maybe mostly with already known people? Maybe leads generated on a tradeshow simply is evidence for bad sales- and marketing? I am not criticizing anybody, but all of us have the same addresses, the same data, the same email addresses, etc.. Therefore, the leads CAN be generated using other means.

These developments are, of course, sad for the event-organizers who have been a tremendously important part of the industry. However, this is a natural development of the industry. Printers are daily facing challenges in their work. In their meetings with new technology, new demands, and new channels, they have to adapt. Now are maybe the time where events either has no justification in the market OR (which I hope) must deliver more value to their customers.

The value I get from attending tradeshows has NEVER been due to the organizer. It's always been the exhibitors, the people, the technology. Events are just frame and ALL the events such as SPICYtalk, Hunkeler Innovationdays, ThinkSmartFactory, and more, have been WAY better organized, way more fun to attend, and way more aligned with what I need when spending time at a tradeshow.

Organizers, media, vendors, exhibitors, federations, printers - we all live in a dynamic time, and we all need to grab the future and focus on where we can bring value to each other.

Since the lockdown and the postponing of both drupa and FESPA, we have been extremely influenced. However, re-inventing our services, products, and offerings is as always the solution on how to move on. Will we survive? We will, for sure, do our best to prove our value, and deliver content that supports the industry. If the industry believes in our products and services, and that we deliver on our promises, they will, of course, buy our services. Being an event-organizer is no different.

May 28, 2020

Author: Morten B. Reitoft